Track is my field: Mark Cullen's international track and field blog featuring storytelling, commentary, and predictions and event analyses for the Olympics and World Championships. I'm writing from the 2017 World Championships in London. I'm active on twitter: @trackerati

Monday, May 30, 2016

I arrive in Eugene on Friday having flown from Seattle. My
carefully planned schedule works like a charm in spite of the Memorial Day
weekend travel challenges thrown its way. I park at my motel a few blessed
blocks from Hayward Field, open my car door, and find myself looking directly at
Alberto Salazar, who is standing no more than five feet away.

There was some danger in having the wind go out of the sails
of this year’s Classic. The star power was diminished considerably with the
withdrawals of Genzebe Dibaba, Allyson Felix, Galen Rupp and Matt Centrowitz.
Each of their races was memorable nonetheless, but one can only wonder what
having someone to run with so deep into the women’s 5,000m would have meant to
Dibaba’s final time. And Centrowitz vs Kiprop? Rupp vs Farah? Felix vs Richards-Ross?
Seems a little was left on the table in this Olympic year.

This did not in any way diminish the on-the-track
performances, where two American records were set and two world records barely
survived. Emma Coburn had previously set the steeplechase AR, only to have it
invalidated when she was not drug-tested after her performance. Her 9:10.76
will stick this time, however, in a race which featured the #2 and #3
performances of all-time: Ruth Jebet (BRN, 8:59.97) and Hyvin Kiyeng (KEN,
9:00.01).

Similarly, Harrison set the 100m hurdles AR in 12.24,
smashing the previous record of Brianna Rollins (12.26) and scaring Yordanka
Donkova’s (Bul) world record of 12.21.

The Bowerman Mile was won in 3:51.54; the international mile
in 3:52.64. It’s just not the Bowerman Mile anymore if it’s not sub-3:50. Guys,
would you get with the program?

It strikes me that the international mile must be the
greatest developmental event in the world – for men. Am wondering why there is
not an equivalent event for women. Doesn't have to be the mile - how about the 100m hurdles, likely the deepest event for women right now.

Coolest moment every year: announcement at 1:00pm that the
international television feed is joining us. Suddenly, millions of like-minded
appreciators of the sport have joined the athletics festival unfolding before
of us.

Welcome one and all.

Memorable moment: Kenyan Julius Yego appears in the hotel
lobby. We make a connection and I indicate I’ve written about him – on the day
he won the World javelin title, becoming the first man from Africa to do so.
It’s a short piece and I read it to him.

He bows in gratitude.

In the local color department, a man near me in a restaurant
was devouring rather enthusiastically his root beer float. Then his enormous
dinner arrived.

I could learn from him.

That’s it from Eugene where the trees are green, the grass
is greener as well as for sale, and greenest of all are the false start cards.

Scorcher

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@Trackerati

I'm active on Twitter every evening at Worlds. I'm live-tweeting the throws for the Throwholics website, but will chime in with other updates. I'll also post a daily piece here, whether a summary of events or a reflection on a single aspect of these championships.